Report: Newcastle 2-1 Burton Albion

Yesterday, Newcastle beat Burton Albion 2-1 away at the Pirelli Stadium. Dwight Gayle opened the scoring after latching onto Matt Ritchie’s low cross to flick in his 17th goal of the competition. The travelling Newcastle fans were quietened just five minutes later when Lloyd Dyer tapped in John Brayford’s cross. Not to be outdone, Mo Diame powered through Albion’s defense to slot home his second goal in two matches.

Winger Christian Atsu was denied an early goal after his shot was saved by goalkeeper McLaughlin. Ritchie could have made it three for the away side but his shot sailed wide of the post. Kyle McFadzean almost drew the game level when his shot from an awkward angle was saved by Karl Darlow. Burton had a handful of chances but didn’t have the added quality needed to get back into the match. Another top draw midfield performance from Jonjo Shelvey made the difference as Newcastle collected another three points.

Newcastle are still at the top of the table but are only one point clear, because of Brighton’s stoppage time winner against Birmingham. Burton Albion, on the other hand, are languishing at the wrong end of the table, two points clear of the relegation zone. This match will leave Newcastle in top spot over Christmas. Newcastle need to be grinding out results like this against smaller teams to strengthen our promotion hopes. At this rate Newcastle will smash the 100 points mark, a truly remarkable feat.

Another two goals from Gayle puts him as Europe’s top goalscorer, only on par with Edison Cavani. This means Gayle has outscored the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Robert Lewandowski. Cheers for him, Pardew.

Newcastle’s next match will be a home clash against Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day and will be shown on Sky Sports. This is another fantastic opportunity to flex our muscles at the top of the league.